Salt Lake: Play paean on Satyajit Ray centenary

Children of BH Block staged a tribute to Satyajit Ray on Saptami, titled Manik Rajar Deshey, in which characters from his films come alive to narrate the biography of the legendary filmmaker, whose nickname was Manik.

Children dressed as characters from Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne, Sonar Kella, Joi Baba Felunath and of course, Hirak Rajar Deshe, appeared on stage and introduced Ray as Manik raja, the emperor. They spoke of his birth at 100 Garpar Road, how he lost his father, the author Sukumar Roy, when he was barely four, his schooling at Ballygunge Government High School, his stint at Santiniketan etc. Conversations between Ray and his mother Suprabha Devi were also staged to inform the audience about the Sandesh, the children’s magazine founded by his grandfather Upendrakishore Roychowdhury that he revived.

Children dressed as Goopy Gyne and Bagha Byne

The Telegraph

Adityarup Mukherjee was delighted to essay the role of Gupi Gayen. “I love the film and the character,” said the Class VIII student who sings and plays the keyboard. Four-year-old Aanya Banerjee Gomes played Mukul of Sonar Kella. Despite having just got admitted to school, she displayed no nervousness and made no mistake in her dialogues. “I showed her the film Sonar Kella but she is too young to understand it,” said her mother Madhurima Banerjee.

Fourteen-year-old Tejodipto Sengupta played Feluda. “I have been acting since the age of seven,” he said.

Aarit Ghosh, who played the young Ray, had watched several of his children's films but found Sonar Kella the best. “I knew nothing about Ray’s family, Sandesh magazine or other interesting aspects of his life till we staged this play. I didn’t even know his nickname was Manik,” said the Class V student.

Soubarno Majumdar was initially scared when he was offered the role of the grown-up Ray. “I didn't know if I could do justice to such an iconic figure. I had to rehearse many times between my exams,” said the Class XI student.

Director of the play Brinda Mukherjee said the production was not without its challenges. “I was down with viral fever in the middle and the older participants were busy with exams much of the time. Still I was determined to pull this off as Ray’s centenary year would never come again,” she said.